County politicians offer views of new Pennsylvania budget

After a nonstop marathon of debate and votes this weekend, legislators in Harrisburg were only able to accomplish one of Gov. Tom Corbett's priorities: An on-time budget for the third year in a row.

Other items on the governor's wish list, including pension reform, transportation reform and privatization of the liquor store system, stalled.

Corbett, a Republican who is seeking re-election in 2014, signed the $28.4 billion budget bill into law Sunday night. It passed in the Republican dominated House strictly along party lines in a 111-92 vote. All members of the Republican Delaware County delegation in the House voted for it; all Democrats voted against it.

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In the Senate, which also has a Republican majority, the budget passed in a 33-17 vote with some Democrats crossing party lines to vote for the bill, including state Sen. Anthony Williams, D-8, of Philadelphia. The other Democrat who represents a portion of Delaware County, state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17, of Upper Merion, voted against it.

Both Republican senators from Delaware County -- state Sen. Ted Erickson, R-26, of Newtown, and Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester -- voted for the budget deal.

The $28.4 bill spending plan is a 2.6 percent increase over the approved budget last year. It does not increase the sales tax or personal income tax.

This year's budget includes a spending increase of $719 million, largely for additional health care for the poor, social services, public employee pensions, prisons and public schools. It also cuts business taxes by about $300 million.

"I am pleased we were able to pass a budget that is sensible and sustainable," said state Rep. Joe Hackett, R-161, of Ridley Township, in a prepared statement. "It properly prioritizes spending and does so without raising taxes."

Hackett said he was pleased more funds went toward K-12 education. Hackett, a former police officer and member of the House Select Committee on School Safety, said he also was pleased to see the state dedicated $6.5 million in additional funds to the Safe Schools Initiatives.

Erickson said he voted for the budget bill because it included increased funds for public education, the Safe Schools Initiatives and community and economic development initiatives. Erickson said sticking points during the weekend between the state House and Senate were transportation reform and liquor privatization.

The liquor privatization bill and transportation bill were indirectly linked during the weekend.

The state Senate passed an amendment to the House liquor privatization bill that was offered by Pileggi this weekend. But Senate Republicans refused to move forward the liquor privatization bill further without a commitment from House Republican leaders to send it to Corbett's desk unchanged and approve the Senate's biggest priority, a massive transportation funding bill.

"Liquor privatization may be something we should do, but the most important thing is transportation," said Erickson. "It's a safety situation and economic situation."

Part of the problem with the transportation bill was there was a divide among House Republicans and no House Democrats were willing to support the current version of the bill. Erickson said some of the Republican House members from rural areas would not consider it because it had money for mass transit. He said those House members have called it a "welfare issue" which Erickson believes is shortsighted.

Senate Republicans also tried to push forward Medicaid expansion in a budget-related welfare code bill but some House Republicans stripped that from the bill during a House Rules Committee meeting Monday morning.

State Rep. Tom Killion, R-168, of Middletown, said he voted for the budget because it increased funding for K-12 education and environmental programs. He said the budget also includes an increase in funding to help reduce waiting lists for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

"We did all that without raising taxes and while spending within our means," he said.

Killion, a former SEPTA board member, said he was supportive of the transportation reform bill because roads and bridges are in desperate need of repair. In addition, he said the bill would have helped the economy by creating jobs. Killion said he believed the majority of Democrats were in favor of the transportation bill "but they don't want to give Gov. Corbett a win."

"It was more about the Democrats trying to embarrass the governor," he said.

State Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166, of Haverford, said he would have voted for a more robust transportation bill that was approved in the Senate earlier in June. In addition to the mass transit funding, some House Republicans had concerns with the transportation bill because it would phase out a cap on wholesale tax on motor fuels over five years, and they viewed it as a tax increase, according to Vitali.

Vitali voted against the overall budget bill because he did not think there was enough funding for education and environmental programs. Vitali, who is the Democratic chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, also said he believes it's "highly inappropriate" that the state is using the Oil and Gas Fund to help run the day-to-day operations of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

State Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164, of Upper Darby, said the budget severely under funds the needs of school districts and is a disservice to children and their families.

Williams, the Democratic senator from Philadelphia who voted in favor of the budget, had a different view about public education funding.

"I'm happy we were able to secure more money for public education," Williams said in a prepared statement. "The governor had his priorities. Other people had their priorities -- liquor privatization, pensions. Making sure the Philadelphia public school system and other public school systems have the money to open in the fall with full staffing was my priority. For our families across the commonwealth, it was the priority."

Davidson also noted that Corbett missed an opportunity to bring in revenue for the public education by failing to enact a nominal, competitive extraction tax on natural gas drilling companies.

"Every other state in the nation provides for a tax on shale drilling, and to refuse to do so in Pennsylvania is irresponsible," she said in a prepared statement. "This tax could have been dedicated for school funding as I have proposed in the past. With a reasonable tax on natural tax drillers and temporary halt in the phase out of the Corporate Stock and Franchise Tax, we could have provided our schools with adequate funding."